Title
Review of Public Notification Requirements for Development Applications and Land Use Bylaw Amendments
Proposed Motion
That Council direct Administration to amend Land Use Bylaw 2025-12 to update public notification requirements, as presented.
Body
Administration Recommendation
That Administration be directed to prepare amendments to Land Use Bylaw 2025-12 to extend the Major Development Permit Decision notification radius from 800 m to 1600 m.
Purpose
To review the public notification requirements for development applications and Land Use Bylaw amendments under Land Use Bylaw 2025-12, to clarify the existing notification radiuses for different application types, and to present Administration's recommendations to ensure notification requirements appropriately reflect Parkland County's rural context and specific application impacts.
Summary
This report addresses Council's motion to review the public notification requirements under the Land Use Bylaw to assess whether they appropriately reflect a rural context. In May 2025, Parkland County adopted a new Land Use Bylaw 2025-12, which governs notification standards for development permits and amendments to the Land Use Bylaw (Sections 7.60 and 8.40 accordingly).
Currently, Major Developments require an 800 m minimum notification distance, and all other discretionary Development Permits require a 100 m minimum notification distance. Parkland County’s Land Use Bylaw defines Major Development as “a new commercial, industrial, resource extraction, institutional, recreational, or Multi-unit residential project that, in the opinion of the Development Authority, has an intensity of operations that has significant environmental, transportation, and municipal infrastructure demands or similar effects and may include off-site impacts that are licensed under municipal, provincial or federal policies or regulations”.
Discretionary Development Permits
Administration recommends maintaining the existing discretionary development permit notification radius of 100 m. The Development Authority already has the discretion to extend this radius for those who may be affected. Expanding the baseline notification distance universally would include unaffected owners and may create a layer of regulatory red tape and risk for minor developments. This could make minor projects (e.g., an application requesting a small setback variance) vulnerable to delays, appeals, and prolonged approvals. The Development Authority will continue to utilize its discretion to increase the notification distance if there are significant impacts such as traffic, environmental, noise, dust or visual impacts associated with a specific development.
Major Development Permits
For Major Developments, Administration recommends amending the Land Use Bylaw to extend the notification radius to 1600 m from the existing radius of 800 m. This would ensure that immediate and extended neighbours affected by the localized impacts of large-scale projects receive appropriate notice. Expanding the Major Development notification radius to 1600 m (1 mile) places Parkland County at the forefront of notifications, closely aligning with Rocky View County, which mandates a 1600 m radius outside hamlet boundaries. Analysis indicates that an increase to 1600 m would approximately triple the number of notification letters sent out by the County for relevant projects.
Land Use Bylaw Amendments
Currently, Section 8.40 of the Land Use Bylaw requires notice to be provided to the registered owners of adjacent (abutting) land if a proposed Bylaw provides for a change of district. Administration recommends maintaining this existing approach for LUB map amendments.
Parkland County Public Engagement Policy (C-AD51) currently outlines specific notification methods and resident engagement accommodations for statutory plan and Land Use Bylaw amendments. With the Public Engagement Policy currently undergoing a comprehensive review, any potential changes to notification requirements or radiuses for LUB Amendments will be considered through that policy review process.
Jurisdictional Context
Compared to neigbouring municipalities, Parkland County notifies a broader range on property owners about development permits. Most regional municipalities, such as Leduc County, Sturgeon County, and Brazeau County, primarily notify only "adjacent/abutting" landowners for discretionary development permits, leaving any wider mailouts to administrative discretion. In contrast, Yellowhead County has moved to an online notice system via its municipal website, with no set minimum for direct mailouts. Parkland County, however, implements clear and mandatory minimum distances for notifications.
Existing Development Permit (DP) Notification Radius & Existing Land Use Bylaw (LUB) Amendment Notification Radius
Parkland County
• 100 m for standard Discretionary Uses. (DP)
• 800 m for Major Developments. (DP)
• Adjacent landowners or increased at the discretion of the Development Authority. (DP)
• Adjacent (abutting) parcels only for a change of District or District provisions. (LUB)
• Discretionary extension to other affected authorities. (LUB)
Leduc County
• Adjacent landowners for standard discretionary uses, Direct Control districts, or variances. (DP)
• Discretionary extension beyond adjacent owners. (DP)
• 800 m radius from the exterior boundaries of the subject lot. (LUB)
Sturgeon County
• Adjacent landowners. (DP)
• 1600 m (1 mile) for adjacent municipalities. (DP)
• Other affected landowners as determined by the CAO. (LUB)
Rocky View County
• 800 m inside a hamlet boundary. (DP)
• 1600 m outside a hamlet boundary. (DP)
• Adjacent property owners via direct mail, on-site signage, and local newspaper advertisements. (LUB)
Brazeau County
• Discretionary (Mailed to directly adjacent landowners, posted on the website, or published in the newspaper at sole discretion). (DP)
• Baseline statutory requirements only, as established by Sections 640 and 692 of the Municipal Government Act. (LUB)
Yellowhead County
• Online notice only via the municipal website, with no direct mailout minimums. (DP)
• Not explicitly specified within standard local framework data. (LUB)
Strategic Plan/Policy/Legal/Staff Implications:
The proposed improvements align with the Parkland County Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and support the pillars of Complete Communities, and Responsible Leadership.
Financial Impact:
Cost: The proposed amendment to expand the notification radius to 1600m for Major Developments will result in an increase in staff time and printing of more mailout letters, which may lead to an additional financial burden. Doubling the radius in some cases may impact the amount of notification letters sent by approximately 3-4 times the current amount.
Source of Funding: Absorbed in existing mailout budget
Other:
Alternatives
That Council accepts the report for information and maintains all existing LUB notification radiuses.